Hi ,

In this week's blast:

⚙️ 2026 FIRST^® Championship Housing Program Resources 
⚙️ Animation & Storytelling Webinar
⚙️ FIRST^® Robotics Competition Blog Updates 
⚙️ Guided Experience Resource

Program Updates, Deadlines, & Reminders

2026 FIRST^® Championship Housing Program Resources: We are once again partnering with ConferenceDirect as the official and only FIRST-approved housing provider for the 2026 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems. Together, we are building resources to help qualifying teams successfully choose and book their hotel accommodations. Read the blog to review the resources so if your team qualifies, you’re ready to go!

Ask Me Anything About Animation and Storytelling: Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Webinar 1 of 2 on the FIRST Digital Animation Award: Join students from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Interactive Media and Game Development (IMGD) program on December 16, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. ET for this FREE webinar to learn more about animation and storytelling, and to ask questions about submitting an entry for the FIRST Digital Animation Award (submission deadline January 12, 2026)! WPI is offering a team grant to the winning team ($6,300 value) and a $1,000 WPI scholarship to ANY student who is a member of a team that submits an entry. More details on the Digital Animation Award webpage. Register Now!

By signing up for the webinar, you will be asked to supply personal data to WPI for this event. This data will be subject to WPI’s privacy policy. You should review WPI’s privacy policy and understand how your data will be used before sharing your information. 

FIRST^® Robotics Competition Blog Updates:

✏️ Control System Update - FIRST^® Tech Challenge Edition
✏️ Introducing the FIRST A301
✏️ 2026 Season Event Rule Updates

Resource of the Week: As we get closer and closer to Kickoff, make sure your team has all the necessary skills. The FIRST Robotics Competition Guided Experience is a fun, flexible training designed for Lead Coaches, mentors, and youth team members (13+) to build essential skills for a successful season. With 12 interactive modules, hands-on activities, and downloadable resources, teams can choose a full training path or mix-and-match lessons to fit their needs. Perfect for pre-season prep, build season support, and onboarding new members.